chilled/frozen food startup help advice on packaging &labeling

[plum30]

Hi

I have a restaurant ,I want make some our dishes to chilled food to sell to shop ,there already a shop willing buy from us,

Need advice how to label and packaging .it would be in our own plastic microwaveable takeaway tray.

appreciate Any advice how start small quantities chilled/frozen food business.

 

[Billmccallum]

someone like http://www.bensongroup.co.uk might be able to advise

 

[Deleted member 140422]

Your local trading standards will give you advice on labelling requirements.
(just to be on the safe side I submitted my labels to them before I had them printed)

There are also regs about transporting frozen foods you need to be aware of

 

[plum30]

thats a big company ,wouldnt think they be intrest in just couple thousand orders

 

[Lentinus]

Start here http://www.food.gov.uk/business-industry/guidancenotes/labelregsguidance/

It would also be a good idea to get the products tested if you are selling fresh as in most cases you will need a Use by Date. Do do this first get an estimate by leaving it in the fridge and seeing when it starts to look/smell bad.
Then approach a food testing lab -(I have used Wickham labs in the past but they dont do this anymore - Google will sort you out there). Give them your estimate, send them a bunch of samples and they will test it for safety and re-test up to and beyond your estimate and come back with a shelf life. Last product I did cost me £70 for all the tests, but it depend on what the food product is.
You will need to inform your local EHO anyway.

Re packaging you can buy trays in reasonable quantities- I have used and can recomend Cater4you eg http://www.cater4you.co.uk/acatalog/microwave-oven-trays.html and you can pick up a manual wrapping machine cheap on ebay if you dont have one.

HTH

 

[frozenfood]

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